Cotton-chopper.



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FEET GARLSON, OF CARLSON, TEXAS.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. '7, 1911.

Application filed February 26, 1910. Serial No. 546,074.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PEET CARLsON, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Carlson, in the county of Travis and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Cotton-Chopper, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has relation to cotton choppers and it consists in thenovel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter shown anddescribed.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine especially adaptedto be used for thinning cotton in a row and includes means foraccurately trimming the soil at both sides of the row of plants justprior to the time that the separate plants are chopped from the row.Means is provided for adjusting the said trimming device so that thesame may operate at any desired distance below the surface of the soil,and means is provided for adjusting the frame of the chopper verticallyso that the chopping blades may cut at any desired depth below thesurface of the soil.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cottonchopper. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

The cotton chopper includes an approxi-v mately rectangular frame 1having a forward extension 2 upon which is mounted an upwardly disposedbracket 3. An axle 4 is journaled for rotation at the rear portion ofthe framel and traction wheels 5 are mounted upon the end portions ofthe said axle 1. The supports for the forward portion of the frame 1 andits attachments consist of a relatively short axle 6 having groundwheels 7 journaled upon its end portions. Collars 8 are mounted upon theaxle 6 and are held in adjusted position thereon by means of set screws9 and are located at opposite sides of the hub of the ground wheels 7.Thus means is provided for shifting the ground wheels 7 along the axle 6in order that they may be spread apart or brought together as desired. Avertical standard 10 is mounted upon the intermediate portion of theaxle 6 and is journaled in a bearing 11 provided at the forward end ofthe frame extension 2 and a bearing 12 located at the upper end of thebracket 3. A collar 13 is located upon the lower portion of the standard10 and is held in an adjusted position thereon by means of a set screw14. The lower side of the bearing 11 rests upon the top of the collar 13and thus it will be seen that by adjusting the collar 13 along thestandard 10 the forward portion of the frame 1 and its connection may beraised or lowered as desired. A sleeve 15 is loosely mounted upon theintermediate portion of the standard 10 and is located between thebearings 11 and 12. A clevis 16 is connected with the sleeve 15 by meansof which draft animals may be attached. A collar 17 is fixed to theupper portion of the standard 10 by means of a set screw 18. Thus thesaid collar 17 may be adjusted along the upper portion of the standardand secured in an adjusted position. A lever 19 is fulcrumed at one endto the collar 17 and is provided with an ordinary spring pawl 20 adaptedto engage the teeth of a gear segment 21 which is fixed to the upperportion of the bracket 3. The rear end of the lever 19 is located inconvenient reach of one occupying a seat 22 which is mounted upon theframe 1. Thus it will be seen that by swinging the lever 19 horizontallythe standard 10 'will be turned upon its axis whereby the axle 6 will beswung about the axis of the said standard and the ground wheels 7guided. Also the pawl 20 engages the teeth of the segment 21 so the tthe ground wheels 7 may be held in any desired vertical plane withrelation to the line of draft of the machine.

The frame extension 2 isprovided at its forward portion with a bearing23 in which is journaled the intermediate portion of a yoke 24. Blades25 are attached to the blades of the yoke 241- and are provided withlower curved extremities 26 which are disposed outwardly toward theirrear end. An arm 27 is attached to the side of the yoke 24: and isupwardly disposed. A shaft 28 is journaled upon the forward portion ofthe frame 1 and is provided at its ends with cranks 29 and 30. A link 31operatively connects the end of the crank 29 with the end portion of thearm 27 and a link 32 operatively connects the crank 30 with a lever 33which is fulcrnmed upon the frame 1. A toothed segment 34L is mountedupon the frame 1 adjacent the lever 33 and its teeth are adapted to beengaged by a spring pawl 35 carried by the lever 33. Thus it will beseen that by swinging the lever 33 the link 32 will be movedlongitudinally whereby the shaft 28 will be rocked upon its axis and thelink 31 moved longitudinally and through the arm 27 the yoke 24 will beswung in the bearing 23 so that the blades s6 may be forwardly orrearwardly disposed as desired. The said blades are adapted to movealong the opposite sides of a row of standing plants and clean the soilat the sides of the row and cast the same away from the row. By theadjustment stated it is possible to cause the blades to operate at anydesired distance below the surface of the soil, although the blades maybe so positioned that they will be entirely above the surface of thesoil.

The frame 1 is provided wit-h bearings 36 in which a shaft 37 isslidably journaled. A beveled gear wheel 38 is fixed to the axle 4 andmeshes with a beveled pinion 39 fixed to the rear end of the shaft 37. Acoiled spring a0 is interposed between the forward bearing 36 and ashoulder 4E1 carried by he shaft 37 and the said coiled spring is undertension with a tendency to hold the shaft 87 in a rearward position sothat the pinion 3'7 is normally in mesh with the gear wheel 38. A leveri2 is fulcrumed upon the frame 1 of the standard and its lower end liesbetween collars fixed to the shaft 37. Thus it will be seen that byswinging the lever 42 the shaft 37 will move longitudinally against thetension of the spring whereby the beveled pinion 39 will be carried outof mesh with the beveled gear wheel 38.

A collar H- is fixed to the intermediate portion of the shaft 37 bymeans of set screws 4L5 and the said collar ist is provided at itsopposite sit es with collars 46 which are disposed at right angles tothe said collar 44. The collars L6 are provided with set screws 47. Hoeshafts e8 pass through the collars l6 and are secured in adjustedposition therein by means of the set screws 4L7. Hoe blades 49 arecarried at the outer end of the hoe shaft 48.

Thus it will be seen that an especially de si ned cot-ton chopperstructure is provided and means is provided for adjusting the parts ofthe chopper to meet requirements and to operate upon the crop to thebest advantage.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is A cotton chopper comprising an approximately rectangular frame having a forward extension provided at itsforward end with a bearing, supporting wheels journaled for rotation atthe sides of the rear portion of said frame, a bracket mounted upon saidextension and having a hearing at its upper forward end, a standardjournaled in the bearings of the extension and bracket, an axle fixed tothe lower end of said standard, ground wheels journaled upon said axle,a lever adjustably fixed to the standard, a spring pawl carried'by thelever, a toothed segment fixed to the bracket and adapted to be engagedby the pawl, a sleeve slidably mounted upon said standard between thehearing at the extension of the frame and the hearing at the forward endof the bracket, and a draft means connected with said sleeve.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PEET CARLSON.

Witnesses CHAS. A. ANDERSON, AUG. HOLMBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

